The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1887-03-19
ENCOURAGE HOME MECHANICS.


Our contemporaries in different Sec
tions of the country, probably confron.
ted by the uneasiness created by short
crops and other public contingencies,
are displaying great deal OF activity
in trying to bring about reform in
soWe Of the Objectionable practices that
have for so long exerted an evil in.
tiuence on commerce in general and
have had tendency to impoverish
and demoralize our skilled and unskil-
led laboring classes.
In every work of u public nature,
either the erection of vast industrial
buildings, the construction of railroads,
the building of levees, and a host OF
others, the home laborer seems to have
been unjustly cast aside for class OF
imported mechanics and laborers, who
have no interest in promoting the
prosperity of our State, and whose
benefit to the legitimate commerce of
the localities they are called w operate
in is, as rule, insignificant, If not
morally Objectionable.
The construction of levees could, for
instance, furnish steady employment
to hundreds OF poor but industrious citi.
zens, but who are most shamefully de-
prived OF this opportunity by the con
tract with the State government which
make the use of convicts permissible
and which allows the practice of a spec.
ulation which should not be in the
least necessary. However, it is not
this that the honest laborer can justly
complain of, but it is substitution OF his
Drawn by the villains of the peuiten,
sa,ho e0 tai
moral aud political obligation, and who
can be of no earthly assistance to COM
merce or anything calculated to add TO
the general prosperity of our surroun-
dings. There are some levees con-
structed by free and unshack led labor,
but these are given out TO special con-
tractors who, for some reasons or other,
can not utilize convict labor. And ii
frequently occurs that the labor ems
ployed on these levees is imported, OF
q vicious and immoral character, and
convicts might as we'll be used in their
stead for all the advantages they confer
upon humanity.
Even in the construction OF railroads
convicts have been utilized, while
many poor, but pure, man lounged
in idleness and in many cases had
large families TO support and provide
for. In default of more lucrative en-
pfOyment, these men would have been
only too glad to take advantage of these
opportunities, whereby they might
have provided for themselves and
families the living necessaries OF life.
So far as concerns the skilled me-
chanic OF our State, he Is seemingly
wiilfully Disseminated against by our
own capitalists. They are in many
places crowded out entirely by foreign
skill. The foundries, the workshops
and least important industries gener-
ally are largely in the hands of an
exotic element. 1t may be urged that
our own State does not furnish suffi-
cient number Of mechanics and those
that II now furnishes are not, as rule,
possessed of a proper knowledge Of
their callings, This may not ba en-
tircly erroneous, save in Isolated and
exceptional cases, but looking at the
matter fairly and squarely, are ihorc
any great inducements offered our
young men to learn trades? We can
see but very little indeed.
BY properly aiding our own Drawn,
by studying and advocating new re-
sources into development requiring
constant labor. by encouraging, aiding
and apprecisting native skilled mech :
anics, we will attain degree of per-
manent activity and prosperity as
will not be subject to depression by the
least unfavorable turn OF our agrcui
ture. .--1ribi Eayie.
COAL IN BOSSIER PARISH.